The Ghosts of Christmas Past: Shame & Love During the Holiday Season
Throughout every Holiday season that I can remember, I’ve referred to to myself as Clark W. Griswold (from the movie Christmas Vacation). I always thought that was because of my love of the holiday, and the relentless pursuit of the perfect “old fashioned family...
How to Have Healthy Relationships with BPD
Most of us struggle to get and maintain healthy relationships. For someone with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), it can be even more challenging. People with BPD generally feel emotions quite intensely, and that can lead to overwhelming feelings in...
Centering Myself with Wise Mind ACCEPTS
Throughout the parts of my 44 years that I can remember, I have always tried to race to the finish line. What do I mean exactly? Let’s begin with summarizing a book report to make it look like I read the book, whilst expecting to get an A. Doing the bare minimum and...
Me, Myself & My Wife: A Spiritual DBT Approach to Marriage with BPD
This year my wife and I celebrated 9 years of marriage. What’s the secret? How did you steer away from divorce? Short answer, Jesus! I’m not going to spend the next few paragraphs preaching, though I could. If you’re familiar with DBT, you’re probably familiar...
Checking the Facts on Shame
About 5 years ago I started to have daily struggles with my mind. The biggest one was unmitigated distaste for myself. I had lived 39 years to this point chasing after people and things that would validate that I was good (not great mind you, just basic good). Most of...
Finding Your Purpose in Life
Do you struggle with the sense that your life is not meaningful enough? I recently read The Sunny Nihilist: A Declaration of the Pleasure of Pointlessness, by Wendy Syfret. As she states on page 16: Then it hit me….“Who cares, one day, I’ll be dead, and no one will...
You Must ACCEPT to IMPROVE: A BPD Recovery Story
I remember my name being called. Dr. Cliff was ready to see me. He was on rotation in the mental health clinic. And I thought, how will I explain my feelings in 15 minutes? I've spent the last 28 years trying to figure out who I am, and I still don't know. Not just...
New Page: DBT Courses for Providers
We recently added a new page we'd like to draw your attention to: DBT for Providers! We know providers as well as clients come to our site to learn DBT skills and we are happy to provide that free information to all. Now we have an additional feature for mental...
Empowered Aging with DBT: Strategies for Enhancing Resilience in Older Adults
Aging can be difficult on the mind as well as the body. Sometimes, as we settle into our golden years, we can experience severe depression or anxiety, a cloud that won’t go away and hangs over our day-to-day activities. Whatever the specific reasoning for this...
How to Use DBT to Combat Work Stress
Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is a form of psychotherapy designed to help you better manage your emotions and thoughts so you can lead a healthier, happier life. By blending modern Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with Zen Buddhism, DBT practitioners can help...
Harnessing DBT For Enhanced Productivity
There’s no question: the last few years have been challenging. We’ve experienced the worst global pandemic in modern history. We’ve seen empty store shelves and lived under the threat of a worldwide recession. We’ve faced soaring inflation at home and the outbreak of...
Rejection Sensitivity: A Guide
Rejection sensitivity is when someone is highly reactive to the mere hint of being turned down. It often stems from childhood, where a lack of attuned care from parents or caregivers can set a pattern for expecting rejection. This expectation primes people to misread...